Quads of Steel

Today we were up early (6:30am!) and decided to have a traditional camping breakfast. Okay, no, we actually decided to go to the little diner in the town of Gorham, NH, the closest populated place to Dolly Copp. They were having an all you can eat buffet, and Mark took advantage of this good fortune. My favorite moment was when he piled his second plate high with bacon and corned beef hash. The variety of food was not too shabby, although I was mighty surprised to see that “Spanish Eggs” were scrambled eggs with a thick layer of salsa on top. Somehow, I don’t remember the eggs in Spain being prepared in such a manner…

After some time for digestion, Mark, Kendra and I decided to squeeze in a hike before the predicted thunderstorms hit. We opted for the Imp Trail, one Kendra and I have hiked before, though never with a baby strapped to our backs. Addison didn’t seem to mind our romp through the woods. After about 45 minutes, I could hear snoring coming from my back – she passed out for over an hour. I was only slightly jealous as my quads burned while I carried her up the trail.

We almost made it to the top before storm clouds began to roll in, and we made the decision to play it safe and head back down the trail. We pulled into our campsite just as the rain started to fall, only to have it completely clear up 10 minutes later.

We put Addison down for the night, feasted on Italian sausages, baked beans and s’mores, watched the fire dwindle down, and played rummy. It was a relaxing night :)Of course, not long after we all went to bed, we were woken up by a raging thunderstorm. Though Kate and Mark decided to brave it out in their tents, Kendra and I took Addison into the car. Amazingly, she slept through the rainy walk to the car, and the loud booms of thunder over the next four hours. After a bit, Kendra and I managed to get some sleep too. We moved back into the tent at 4:30am, and when Addison woke up for breakfast at 6:30am, we decided to pack up our sopping wet camp and head home.

Though it was awesome to finally go camping again, we definitely faced unique challenges by camping with a 10 month old. We also figured out a few things to make the next time a bit easier:

1. Keep a bottle, water, powdered formula, diapers, and wipes in the tent at night.
2. Bring a pack and play so Addison can play independently without us worrying about her hurting herself or eating a rock.
3. Use Playtex drop-in bottles so we only need one bottle, and the only thing to clean each night is the nipple, rather than a ton of bottles.
4. Having the ergo is great for walking her around the campground when she’s cranky.
5. Driving her around in the car is a great option if all else fails when getting her to fall alseep.

As hard as it was, I can’t wait for our next trip!